Six houses submerged by Atlantic Ocean#sad

Six houses in Iwuo Okpom community,
Ibeno Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom
State, have been submerged by the
Atlantic Ocean.
Village Head of Iwuo Okpom, Mr. Okon
Akpanowong, told our correspondent in
Ibeno on Monday, that the surge from
the ocean also affected the residents.
He stated that no fewer than 1,000
people had been displaced in the area,
adding that the ocean had caused
hardship to the community.
Akpanowong noted that the shore
protection contract awarded by the
Federal Government to check the surge
problem had failed.
He stated that the contract was awarded
in 1992 to a construction company and in
2006 to an engineering firm.
He said, “When the Atlantic Ocean
encroaches, it overflows and submerges
people’s houses. So far, six houses have
been submerged by the ocean’s overflow.
“The contractors handling the shore
protection contract in Iwuo Okpom are
not able to satisfactorily carry out the
contract. After collecting mobilisation
fees, some of the contractors refuse to
show up here.”
Akpanowong appealed to the Federal
Government to come to their aid, saying
that socio-economic activities in the area
had been affected.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Iwuo
Okpom Village Council, Chief John Etim,
noted that the flood had eroded many
acres of land within the community,
describing the situation as unfortunate.
He appealed to both the State and Federal
governments to re-award the contract to a
reputable contractor, or in the alternative,
make the contractors handling the shore
protection project to urgently revisit it.